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Gary Mitchell
Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell was a supporting character in Star Trek's second pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before". He was a helmsman aboard the USS Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk who would be replaced by Hikaru Sulu after his one-episode appearance. He was portrayed by Gary Lockwood. History Mitchell had known James Kirk for over fifteen years; the two had attended Starfleet Academy together, though Kirk always seemed to excel where Mitchell did not. Mitchell even tried sabotaging Kirk's studies by introducing him to an attractive blonde woman in the hopes that Kirk would become distracted, allowing Mitchell to catch up. Despite this rivalry, both Mitchell and Kirk remained friends for years, eventually serving on the same ship, the Enterprise. In 2266, the Enterprise discovered debris belonging to the SS Valiant, an ancient ship that had attempted to cross the galactic barrier. Examining it, and exploring the Valiant's last known position, the Enterprise penetrated the galactic barrier, an event that proved disastrous for Mitchell, and nearly so for the rest of the crew. Mitchell was briefly stunned by direct contact with the strange energies of the barrier, but he recovered quickly. As his recovery continued, however, he began to display a widening array of psionic abilities. As his powers grew, Mitchell began to lose his humanity: he eventually came to view the rest of the crew, even the entire human race, as inferior to himself. Damaged by the galactic barrier, the Enterprise limped to Delta Vega. By the time they reached that planet, Kirk was convinced that Mitchell was dangerous, and attempted to maroon him there. They rigged the mining station to blow up and hopefully kill Mitchell if he tried to break out. But before repairs were complete, Mitchell had grown too strong to be confined. He killed Lee Kelso, left Kirk and Spock stunned, and escaped into the hills around the lithium cracking station, taking another member of the crew, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner, with him. Death With Dehner by his side, who was also developing similar powers to himself, Mitchell began creating an ideal environment for himself on the otherwise barren planet. Kirk soon arrived brandishing a phaser rifle and attempted to appeal to Dehner's remaining humanity, and when this seemed to be working, a disappointed Mitchell appeared. Mitchell, at least in his own mind, had already transcended mere humanity. Dr. Dehner had retained enough humanity left to be appalled at Mitchell's actions, and she used her new powers to attack him. At the cost of her own life, she weakened Mitchell long enough for Kirk to overpower him. Kirk knocked Mitchell into a hole Mitchell had prepared (ironically) as Kirk's grave. Using a phaser, Kirk collapsed a hillside on top of Mitchell, burying him beneath tons of rock and permanently ending his threat. In his log, Kirk recorded that Mitchell and Dehner had both died in the line of duty, noting that neither one of them asked for what had happened to them. Category:TV Characters Category:TV Deaths Category:Supporting Characters Category:Villains Category:Humans Category:Star Trek Category:Star Trek: The Original Series Category:Died In Battle Category:Transformed Characters Category:Crushed to Death Category:Killers